All Seasons Table in Malden Square. This is Asian-Fusion food at its best! Nice bar, friendly atmosphere, live Jazz and plenty of great dishes to try. Sushi, too!

Takeout is well-done and the delivery person extremely polite and prompt, but the person taking your order can't hear you over the crowd noise from the restaurant. Be prepared to repeat your order several times!

Jay's cafe' has a mix of Japanese and Chinese and it's awesome! There a few different locations around Boston.

Also, although not Chinese but Thai food is Lime Leaf in Weymouth.....the food is clean, meaning not a lot of heavy sauces covering up the food. Delicious and reasonable. Definately worth the trip out to the burbs!

..I just paid a visit over the New Year's holiday weekend..right in China town ..which surpirsingly I noticed there wasn't many places picked on favorite spots on the Globe list but 1 or 2.....Newton and Cambridge aren't really geographically part of inner Bosoton 'The Hub'..for that matter Saugus?

The 'New Moon Villa' open till at least 3am..servie was grerat..not too a busy at the time of early morning I paid a visit ....food was cooked in very clean oil and the Egg Drop soup was pheonominal..it's a great place to hit when your downtown late night and your favorite watering hole or club closes up at 2am and you have to put some good decent food in your belly...

While I have eaten at a number of these fine establishments, I would have to say that my favorite is Mary Chung's in Cambridge. Best Suan la Chow Show ever!!! Excellent Dun Dun noodles as well and pretty good General Gau chicken.

Took my daughter here years ago because she thought she had already had the best Suan la Chow Show. Now this is her favorite place as well.

Without question, Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica, Framingham, and now Brookline. I'm a New Yorker, and most Chinese food in New England can't compare to NY's Chinatown, but Sichuan Gourmet does. I prefer the Billerica location, but they're all great.

GREAT CHEF in Day Square East Boston - the best for over 20 years. Angus and the crew make all the traditional favorites plus some fancy stuff too. Never had a bad meal there in 20 years. Fresh food and friendly folks.

I don't know how Kowloon's always make these lists - I think you have to be a drinker to "get it"... I routinely go there with others, always giving it another chance and in 23 years, I have yet to have a good meal. Cathay Pacific's food is fresh, bright and filling. service is also great!

Fuloon in Malden, especially if you order off the Chefs Special dishes such as Spicy Bean Curd, Twice Cooked Pork with Black Bean and Hot Pepper, Chicken with Capiscum (Lethally hot), and Wok Baked Beef.

I'm sure some of the so-called mediocrity in local Chinese food stems from the fact that in some places, Chinese restaurants are the only establishments that bother to stay open past 1.a.m. Twentysomethings are getting out of bars and will go anywhere(and buy anything) to eat at that hour. Walk up Moody St. in Waltham at that time of night and you'll see what I mean.